A woman, features shadowed by a cape and hood, strode wearily into the museum. She walked silently, as she started to examine the exhibits. She tried to comprehend the writing on them, but it was alien to her. This was not just because she could not read, but also because she had been dormant for so long. She listened carefully to how the people were speaking, trying to understand it. She walked through an immense hall packed with the fossils of archosaurs, more

than 650 times older than she was. Then she found herself in a smaller hall. Some of the exhibits here were startlingly similar. She walked more quickly, though still without a sound. She had known some of these animals, long ago. She was so absorbed looking at some of the more primitive mammals that she did not watch where she was going. She walked into a barrier. Looking up, she got a terrible shock. Looming over her were the massive tusks of a woolly mammoth. Her shadowed face broke into a wide grin, but that quickly faded. She ran to find someone who knew about the present day. She found a young man. She practically dragged him to the mammoth exhibit. She was picking up the language at an incredible rate, enough to ask a simple question.

"Where are those?" she asked in a very feminine voice.

"Don’t you know, those are all extinct."

"What ex-tin-ct?"

"Are you that dull? Extinct is dead, lost forever, no more anywhere."

A look of shock and disbelief crossed the woman’s face, and she screamed. She turned, and her eyes glowed green. An aura of energy surrounded her. With a snap of her fingers she sent the man flying backwards. He landed, bruised but alive, and stood up.

"What kind of monster are you?!" he snapped. The woman’s eyes, flickering now from blue to green, regarded him coldly.

"Get out of my sight!"

The man, not willing to take the chance that this woman was bluffing, ran for his life. The woman started to walk in a haphazard, anxious way from exhibit to exhibit. She looked closely at the skeletons of animals that were common at one time. She lurched back to the skeleton of the mammoth and fell down on her knees, speaking in an ancient forgotten language.

"It’s all my fault. I failed the animals and the entire planet. I had no idea people were capable of all this destruction. They’ve violated this planet, and I’m to blame. My power was a mistake. I have to make things right."

She stood up again, and pulled back her hood. The artificial light revealed the tan skin and long green hair that cascaded downward. Strangest of all was the small globe embedded in her forehead. She turned towards the direction of the oblivious people still marveling at the skeletons of the long dead relations of birds in the hall of dinosaurs. Her eyes changed color repeatedly from green to blue and back again, and then they turned a frightening blood red.

"They have grown to numerous for their own good. It’s about time the Earth fought back."

She withdrew seven glowing diamond-shaped crystals from her cloak. They started to float, orbiting around her head. Then they shot off into the distance.

"It is time for you to arise, Animal Soldiers!"

Many smaller, dimmer crystals flew out of her cloak and out of sight. The woman turned and strode past the mammoth skeleton, speaking to it as she passed.

"It’s only a matter of time until humanity pays, but I can wait. I have all the time in the world.."

She laughed to herself, growing more diaphanous with every step, until she disappeared. Her laugh hovered in the air a few seconds longer before fading as well.



A little girl, Ryuu Furui, walked casually through the museum. Her mother had said that she could look around for a while, and she was doing just that. As she passed by an exhibit about extinct birds, she paused. Scratching her head in puzzlement, she started talking to herself.

"But they aren’t extinct, are they?"

She shrugged and kept on walking. Then she got to the dinosaur exhibit. She was the only one there at the moment. She walked up to the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus and couldn’t resist the impulse to touch it, which she did. As soon as she did, a green glow shined from her chest, and a fierce roar echoed through the empty exhibits. She leaped backwards, losing her balance and falling over. All around her, glowing orbs appeared in the dinosaur skeletons where the eyes once were. She screamed.

The Warrior of Extinction is not yet ready. said a booming voice that seemed to come from the dinosaurs’ bones themselves. Ryuu trembled with fear, too scared to scream again. Then the glow faded, and the Hall of Dinosaurs was back to normal. Ryuu stood up, and ran to find her mother. She never told anyone about what had happened, and in time she made herself forget it.

The school bell rang. A young woman strode confidently out of the school building, carrying her books. Her dark green hair flowed around her head and neck, and her yellow eyes sparkled. She absentmindedly ran her fingers along the ugly scar running lengthwise on her right arm. She shaded her eyes and looked up into the sky. A strange-looking bird was flying in her general direction. It was gray, and its head was yellow, but she couldn’t discern any other details. Suddenly someone screamed. Ryuu, for that was who it was, immediately looked in the direction of the sound. A strange creature had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It looked sort of like a large monkey, and yet not. Without knowing what she was doing or why, Ryuu started to move closer. The monkey-monster picked up a girl who had fainted in fear. As Ryuu watched from behind a tree, it sunk its teeth into her neck…

Ryuu tried to shrink back against the tree, make herself as inconspicuous as possible.

What is that thing?! I’ve got to stop it! But how could I possibly take on a… a vampire monkey and hope to win?

Ryuu took a deep breath, then stepped out from behind the tree.

"Hey, plasma breath, over here!" she said. The monkey-creature dropped its intended victim, shrieked, and loped towards Ryuu on all fours. All her courage left her at that moment, and she bolted. She dashed inside the school, the monkey-creature right behind her. She ducked into a classroom, closed the door, and locked it. The monkey-creature’s face appeared suddenly at the door. It tried to open the doorknob, but the door was locked. Shrieking in frustration, it drew back a fist and punched the door. A crack appeared on the glass, but it didn’t break.

"I think I’m safe for now." Ryuu said to nobody in particular. "What came over me? I must be insane to risk my neck, literally, by disturbing that vampire monkey! How am I going to get out of here?!"

The monkey-creature hit the glass again, and a small hole opened in the window. Then the whole window on the classroom door exploded inwards. The monkey-creature reached inside, and unlocked the door.

"Oh, man, it’s smart, too!" Ryuu moaned. The door swung open and the creature stepped inside. Ryuu got to take a good, long look at it. It didn’t look like a monkey, per se, more like a huge chimpanzee. A chimpanzee with glowing green eyes, but a chimpanzee nonetheless. It stalked forward slowly, weaving around desks and chairs. Ryuu picked up a chair to defend herself, though it would be of little use. The creature was within six feet of her, and it moved forward, to grab her. Ryuu jerked around, releasing her grip on the chair. It flew through a window, shattering it. Broken glass rained down on both Ryuu and the creature. Ryuu shook the glass off of herself, just as the monkey-creature grabbed her by her right arm. She seethed with anger, and, unseen by her, her eyes became bright green and shaped like a cat’s. She picked up the first thing she saw, a piece of broken glass, and stabbed it into the creature’s hand. It howled with pain and let go of her arm. Before she could think of what to do, she ran to the broken window. Ignoring the shattered glass, some of which cut into her hands, she climbed through the window and into the schoolyard. Ryuu couldn’t see anyone. They all had fled, terrified of the monster whose sole intent was now to kill her. She ran as fast as she could, but an incautious step sent her crashing to the ground. The monkey-creature climbed out of the window and loped towards Ryuu. She stood up, but the creature was very fast. It was only a few yards away now, and closing. Ryuu turned and ran as fast as she could. This time, an unfortunately placed rock tripped her up. She fell harder this time. Then she noticed something in the grass next to her. She picked it up. It looked like a small silver talon on a pendant. She examined it carefully, wondering whom it belonged to. A guttural shriek jolted her back to reality. The monkey-creature was within an arm’s reach of her! It drew back a fist, and swung at her. Ryuu shrieked and threw up her hands to protect herself. As the monkey-creature made contact with Ryuu, the pendant glowed brilliantly. A wave of energy blasted the monkey-creature, lifting it off its feet and sending it flying. Ryuu sat there, looking with amazement at the pendant.

"It’s yours."

Ryuu, startled, looked around.

"What? Who’s talking?"

"The pendant is yours. That little show proves it." The voice came from high in a nearby tree. A small gray bird with a yellow face and orange cheeks flew down out of the tree and landed in front of her.

"You’re… you’re talking!" Ryuu said. "I knew parrots could speak, but I thought they just mimic!"

The bird cocked his head. If his face were capable of the expression, he would be smirking. "Most do, but I’m different. And, for the record, I’m a cockatiel. The name’s Psittacus, but there’ll be more time for pleasantries later."

"What is that thing?"

"An embodiment of Terraforce’s sorrow." Psittacus said, though that only confused Ryuu further. "Listen closely, this is very important; hold that pendant up and repeat after me: Dinosaur Prehistoric Power, Make Up!"

Ryuu nodded. This is too weird. Vampire monkeys, talking birds, and now this! I guess this can’t get any weirder. She held up the raptor claw pendant, and started to speak.

"Dinosaur Prehistoric Power, Make Up!" she shouted. Green energy erupted from the pendant and engulfed her. She closed her eyes, not eager to see what was happening to her body. When she opened her eyes, she was different. Somehow she had changed her clothes. She now wore a white bodysuit similar to one worn by gymnasts. A skirt and shoulder flap, both yellowish-green with darker green striping, were on top of the bodysuit. Purple bows adorned her back and her chest. A round green gem held the bow and the shoulder flap together. On her forehead was a crescent-shaped boomerang with a green jewel in the middle. It was secured to her head by an unknown agency. Elbow-length gloves covered her hands, and she held a bluish staff, striped with silver and surmounted by an amber-yellow crystal.

Then again, maybe it can…

"Cool! But, what am I?"

"You are a Sailor Soldier."

"But I can’t be! They all are named after planets, not animals!"

"You are an Animal Soldier, a different breed than the Solar Soldiers. You are Sailor Dinosaur, and it is your destiny to lead others like yourself into battle. But now you must destroy that creature before it destroys you!" Psittacus said, nodding in the direction of the monkey-creature. It stood up, shrieked and loped towards Sailor Dinosaur. She swung her staff, hitting the creature across the face and taking it by surprise. Without knowing for sure what she was doing, Sailor Dinosaur pointed the crystal end of her staff at the creature. Energy began to gather inside the crystal, making it glow.

"Extinction BEAM!" she shouted, as a beam of energy radiated from her staff, and hit the creature square in the chest. It was overwhelmed, and was destroyed.

"Whoo-hoo!" Sailor Dinosaur cheered. "I beat the vampire monkey!"

"Maybe, but you have more important things to do. There are six more Animal Soldiers here in Japan, and you have to locate them. Then you have to find the others, the ones spread across the world. There are thirteen of them."

"Man, that sounds like too much work." Sailor Dinosaur said.

"You’re the Warrior of Extinction, and you have certain duties to… Ryuu?"

Sailor Dinosaur was standing stone still, and she was trembling.

"Warrior of Extinction… that strange voice in that museum, when the dinosaur bones came to life, it called me that too." Sailor Dinosaur said to herself. "Was this what it meant? That I wasn’t ready for this power yet?"

"What are you talking about?" Psittacus chirped. "Tell me!"

"Oh, it’s nothing that concerns you."

"Well, let’s go home then."

Sailor Dinosaur flicked her hand at him. "I have to get home now. You’re welcome to come, but we have a cat."

Psittacus froze, speechless. Sailor Dinosaur smiled.

"Don’t worry. He’s never caught anything in his whole life."

THAT NIGHT:

A young woman walked along a darkened street. Her eyes were hidden in shadow, and she walked slowly, unafraid of the possible threats lurking in the darkness. She was short, with orange hair that fanned out not unlike a hamadryad’s hood. A black cape, tied around her shoulders, shrouded her body.

"Hey, sweetie, what are you doing out here so late?" an arrogant male voice said from behind her. She said nothing in reply and kept walking.

"Hey, I’m talking to you!" he said, getting a little angry.

No reply.

Furious now, the man ran forward and grabbed this woman who was acting as if he weren’t there. She turned her head slowly.

"Let go." The voice was emotionless.

"And why should I do that?" the guy sneered.

"You’ll pay with your life if you don’t."

"Bite me!"

The girl looked down at her cloak, and her mouth stretched into a wicked smile. "Naja..."

There was a sibilant hiss and, suddenly, a cobra struck out from under the girl’s cloak, sinking its fangs into the man’s throat and injecting all of its venom at once. The girl pushed the now dying man away from her. As if nothing had happened, she kept on walking…

THE NEXT DAY:

Ryuu shot out of bed, quickly dressed herself, and ran downstairs to eat.

"Ryuu! I think you should see this." Psitaccus said from on top of the TV.

"I don’t have time."

"This is important!"

Ryuu walked over, holding a bagel in one hand and her backpack in the other. She squawked with surprise when she heard the news report on the TV.

"Someone got killed by a… snake? In the middle of Tokyo?!"

"There are two possibilities. The most likely is that that guy ran into a snake-demon."

"Snake-demon?!" Ryuu whimpered.

"Let me explain. You could easily call that vampire ape you encountered yesterday an ape-demon. By snake-demon I mean a creature like the one you fought, but based on a serpent rather than a chimpanzee"

"Great! More monsters for me to fight!" Ryuu complained, then looked at the Jurassic Park watch she had found in an import store. "I’ll be late for school! Bye bye, Meow Mix. Psittacus, don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone." She said, dashing out the door.

"Well, it looks like Naja has found his mistress." Psittacus said. "I didn’t want to lie to Ryuu, but it’s better for her to find out about her new ally directly."

MUCH LATER:

The school day was over. Ryuu hung around for a while, talking with some of her friends. Then she started to head home.

Midway there she heard an explosion. More curious than scared, she headed in that direction.

Don’t tell me I have to fight again! Please, just don’t let it be one of those monsters! Ryuu thought. Unfortunately, when she turned the corner, it was. A spotted, scaly, sinewy creature, seemingly the product of a misguided union between leopard and crocodile, was standing over a man, preparing to make the kill. Before it could, a whip wrapped around its front legs, and it was yanked forward, losing its balance. The whip lashed out again, but it was glowing this time. It hit the creature, sending it flying. Ryuu held her pendant, and spoke aloud the words of transformation.

"Dinosaur Prehistoric Power, MAKE UP!"

Energy swirled around Ryuu’s body in an iridescent whirlwind, transforming her into Sailor Dinosaur. She charged out into the open. Then she saw the person at the other end of the whip. It was a girl in a Sailor Soldier outfit rather like her own. She wore a two-piece outfit exposing her middle, with a translucent blue skirt around her waist. An undulating metal snake encircled her neck, and she wore knee-high boots in a snakeskin pattern. She glared angrily at Sailor Dinosaur, then leaped lightly to the ground. Without saying a word, she slashed at Sailor Dinosaur with her whip. The lash sliced through the glove on her right arm, cutting into the flesh of her hand. Sailor Dinosaur hissed in pain, and almost reflexively aimed her staff at this strange Sailor Soldier.

"Extinction Beam!" she shouted. The strange woman dived away from the blast, and narrowly missed it. She sprung immediately to her feet, and held one of her hands up into the air.

She cracked her whip, and glowing orbs appeared in the sky. "Serpentine Rockslide!" she shouted, and rocks began to rain from the sky. They impacted all over the area, but to Sailor Dinosaur’s surprise, they didn’t hit her. In fact, the other woman had to make an undignified scramble to avoid the rocks she had summoned!

Regaining her poise and her dignity, the other Sailor Soldier took a flying leap, landing within a few feet of Sailor Dinosaur. There were a few moments of silence, then the woman spoke.

"You pathetic creature! That monster escaped because of you!" the woman fumed.

"Hey! You attacked me first!"

"I have an important mission to accomplish. I have no time for peons like you." The woman said. She started to walk away.

"Peons!? I am an Animal Soldier!" Sailor Dinosaur said.

The woman froze. She turned her head.

"Animal… Soldier?"

Sailor Dinosaur grew a little more confident. "I am Sailor Dinosaur, Warrior of Extinction!"

The woman’s eyes closed and it looked as if she had a headache.

"Well, I guess that changes things. You would have to be a Sailor Soldier to fight that well."

Sailor Dinosaur decided to press her advantage. "Well, you know, calling rocks down from the sky does no good if you bring them down on your head."

The woman’s face turned into an angry frown.

"Don’t push it."

She started to walk away. When she got to the other end of the street, she turned around.

"By the way, the name is Sailor Cobra, the Serpent Warrior. I work alone, and I’ll destroy you if you interrupt me again."

She started running, making a sharp turn and disappearing into an alley.

LATER:

"Psittacus, why didn’t you tell me about Sailor Cobra?!"

"Ryuu, calm down. I didn’t expect her to awaken this early. Think of it this way; that’s one less Animal Soldier for you to find."

"Was she the one who killed that guy last night?" Ryuu asked.

"I don’t know, but I’d guess she was. She has an animal guardian, a cobra named Naja."

"Well, is there anyone else you want to warn me about?"

"No. The others have not yet awoken. Ryuu…"

"What?"

Psittacus looked around him at Ryuu’s apartment. "Is your mother and that poor excuse for a cat the only family you have?"

Ryuu closed her eyes and said nothing for several seconds. Just as Psittacus was about to ask another question, certain he had brought up a delicate subject, Ryuu started speaking.

"I used to have a normal family, but my parents are divorced now. My brother lives with my father, but they live far away and I don’t see them often."

"I’m sorry, I didn’t know…"

"It’s okay. It doesn’t really bother me anymore."

THE NEXT DAY:

In class, Ryuu had almost fallen asleep when the teacher announced that they had a new transfer student. There was nothing especially unusual about that, but what really got her attention is when the new student walked into the room. From her feet to the top of her head, she was over six feet tall! Her yellow hair hung to her neck, where it swept upwards to each side. Her orange eyes darted nervously around the room. She stood next to the teacher, and was taller than she was. She shifted her weight, aware of all the people staring at her.

"We have a new student. This is Washi Atsuko-"

"Akatsukinosorano." Washi said.

"Excuse me." The teacher said.

"I’m used to it." Washi said. Carrying her books, she took a seat near the back of the room.

LATER:

Washi was sitting on a bench eating her lunch by herself. Ryuu walked over, still curious about the new girl.

"Hello."

Washi looked up. "Yes?"

"Nothing, really. Do you like our school?"

"I guess. Why does everyone keep looking at me so funny?" Washi asked with a confused expression.

Ryuu smiled. "I think it’s because you’re so tall. You’re even taller than the teachers."

"I guess I am."

"Hey, why are you eating by yourself?"

"I always eat like this."

"You don’t have any friends here, do you?"

Washi shook her head. "I just got here. I haven’t had time to make any friends." Her head drooped a little. "I didn’t have any friends at my other school either."

"I’ll be your friend." Ryuu said. That comment had just popped out of her mouth. The effect on Washi was immediate. Her face broke into a weak smile.

"Thanks."

Ryuu turned to go. "I’ve got to do some homework before lunch is over. See you again, Washi."

"You know my name, but you never gave me yours." Washi said. Ryuu stopped and hit her forehead lightly.

"I forgot. My name is Ryuu Furui."

"Hey, you’re that girl who fought that monkey creature the other day, aren’t you?" Washi asked.

"Yeah, I did. How did you know? You just got here."

"I heard some other people talking about it. How did you beat something that dangerous?"

Ryuu got quiet. She wasn’t sure how to answer without admitting that she was Sailor Dinosaur.

"A Sailor Soldier named Sailor Dinosaur showed up and saved me." Ryuu said.

"A Sailor Soldier? I’ve heard that a group of Sailor Soldiers led by on named Sailor Moon lives here in Tokyo. They seems to have disappeared of late, though."

"Really?" Ryuu said.

"That’s what I heard, but I don’t really believe it myself. Sailor Soldiers sound like nothing but an urban legend, like the Dragon."

"Dragon?"

"I heard that a creature with wings like a bat roams the city by night, fighting the forces of evil with a two-bladed sword. Someone at my old school said that she saw it. No one really believed her, though."

Then a bell rang. Washi stood up and gathered her books. "I have to get to my next class now." she said. Ryuu nodded.

"I do too."

FAR, FAR AWAY:

A group of men were walking through the jungle. As could be guessed by the weapons and equipment they carried, they were up to no good. In fact they were poachers. They had already killed several small forest antelope, as well as a few monkeys. Then they heard a series of loud hoots. Being experienced trackers, they knew that there were chimpanzees ahead. They also knew that an infant chimpanzee would be worth more than a whole month’s wages, and that the adults were good eating. They readied their guns and spears. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. She had noticed them as soon as they entered the forest, though her awareness stretched much further than that. Only recently had she and her sister awoken from a very long sleep, and she was shocked to see what had happened to her domain. It had only been a thousand years or so, but the forests had shrunken considerably. The six species of apes, three known only from stories and chance encounters, which lived in them were on the decline as well. She watched from the nearby, almost completely invisible against the trees. She could traverse thousands of miles instantly, giving her the ability to protect a vast territory. Many were the humans who had met her and been slain.

The men had managed to sneak up to the group of chimpanzees, which were too busy feeding on ripe fruit to notice. There was a loud noise as the old gun fired. A male chimpanzee fell, badly but not mortally wounded. Without even thinking, she moved. Grabbing her huge scythe, she tore down the tree with superhuman speed and leapt at the man with the gun. He fired the other barrel of the gun at her, but missed, and didn’t even have the chance to scream the razor-sharp blade of the scythe sliced both him and his gun in half. The other men immediately started firing at the woman, but she was far too fast. She slashed out, decapitating one of the men, before killing two with one stroke of her scythe, and two more with the next strike. One of the men managed to dodge her strike. He tried to stab her with the knife he was carrying, but she moved with an agility and speed more like that of a leopard than a person. She extended one hand.

"Shadow Strike!" she said in a cold and savage voice. A bolt of black energy hit the man, surrounding him with black light. He screamed as the energy vaporized him. She turned to the only remaining man, a boy older a few years younger than she was. He was shaking uncontrollably. She walked over to him.

"Don’t worry, I won’t kill you this time." She said. This time her voice was kind and gentle. The boy took a good look at this strange woman. Her skin was much, much paler than his dark skin. Her hair was a pale green, and her eyes were the color of new leaves. She was wearing a white bodysuit, with a strange piece of green fabric over her shoulders. A dark green bow and a red gem fastened this piece of fabric to her bodysuit. She also wore a short green skirt and strange knee-high boots.

"I want you to take a message back to the people of your village. Tell everyone that Gecko the Destroyer has returned to the forests! Tell them that if they kill too many animals, or if they harm any apes, my scythe will descend upon them, understand?"

The terrified young man nodded. He got up and ran back to his village as fast as he could. The woman, who was an Animal Senshi known as Sailor Gecko, snapped her fingers, and the bodies of the men she had killed disintegrated, as did their weapons and equipment. Then she walked over the injured chimpanzee. It held out its arm, and she healed it instantly.

"There you go." She said gently to it.

No one initially believed the boy when he told his story, but suddenly, a column of green light shot up out of the forest and destroyed one of the houses in the village. After that, the villagers took him more seriously. There were, after all, old legends that spoke of a being known as Gecko the Destroyer, but these legends were not common knowledge.

Sailor Gecko smiled as she reclined on a branch. Her plan was progressing nicely. First, she must protect the apes, the elephants, and other rare animals. The second phase would take much longer…

BACK IN TOKYO:

A storm was brewing. Thunder roared like lions in the clouds, and lightning illuminated Tokyo like pictures taken by a gigantic camera. Ryuu slept soundly in her bed, untroubled by the storm. Psittacus sat on his perch near the window, watching the storm intently.

"It seems that the Queen of Storms shall awaken soon." Psittacus said. "The Serpent Warrior already is awake."

The next morning, Ryuu got up and left for school. She tripped in the wet grass of her front yard and her left arm hit something sharp that cut her uniform. She looked at her left arm, and was surprised to see blood starting to well up in a narrow but deep wound that must have been inflicted by the sharp object. She quickly wrapped a bandage around the wound, and stood up. As she did, her left hand came into contact with something hard. She looked and saw what looked like a bird’s feather made of metal. She picked it up and looked at it, but decided that she could get a better look later, so she stuck it in with her books, and hurried to school.

Washi hadn’t slept well. She went out on an errand for her mother, and had started walking home just as the storm reached overheard. She had looked up, and she swore that she had seen a huge eagle inside the storm during one flash of lightning. It was gone by the next flash, however, and she decided that she had been seeing things. She hurried home and managed to avoid the worst of the rain. However, her dreams were turbulent and frightening. She could only remember one thing about them: An eagle speaking in her voice, saying, "The Queen of Storms sleeps. Find a piece of a metal wing and awaken her." She was tired, and ended up almost being late for school.

At lunch, Ryuu found Washi and sat next to her.

"What happened to your arm?" Washi said. Ryuu looked at it.

"Oh, that. I tripped and fell on something sharp." Ryuu said. She fished around in her bag until she pulled out a metal feather. Washi gasped.

"A piece of a metal wing…" she said to herself.

"If you want it, you can have it." Ryuu said. "I’m going to find my friends. Do you wanna come, Washi?"

"No, thanks."

As Ryuu left, Washi stared at the metal feather. It had a glow in her hand that was not present when Ryuu was holding it.

"Why must I awaken this Queen of Storms? For that matter, how do I do it?" Washi wondered. Suddenly, someone screamed. Washi stood up and looked out over the schoolyard. She gasped as she saw a creature that looked like a leopard the size of a lion, with the head of a huge crocodile. It was stalking slowly towards the school. Suddenly, it charged. It grabbed a blue-haired young woman by the arm and shook her like a terrier shakes a rat. Washi heard the sickening sound of tearing flesh as the girl’s arm tore off. She lay there, her face portraying the most terrible fright. The creature charged on, leaving her to be helped by fellow students. Then Washi saw a figure standing between the creature and the other people. At first Washi thought it was Ryuu, but it didn’t look quite right to be Ryuu. This woman was wearing an outfit like a Sailor Soldier! She carried a staff with a yellow crystal on the end of it.

"I thought I’d see you again, beast!" the Sailor Soldier said. "I am Sailor Dinosaur, and I won’t let you hurt anyone else!"

The creature roared, and sprung at her. Sailor Dinosaur dodged, barely. It was then that Washi noticed the bandage around Sailor Dinosaur’s left arm and the scar on her right arm. Sailor Dinosaur pointed her staff at the monster.

"Extinction Beam!" she said, as a beam of energy fired from the crystal at the end of the staff. The creature leapt nimbly aside and the beam headed towards a group of people! Sailor Dinosaur watched in horror. Once fired, she had no control of her attack. She prepared for the worst. Suddenly, a figure leapt down into the attack’s path. The attack hit the blade of his spear, but he deflected it into the air, where it dissipated harmlessly. Now Sailor Dinosaur got a better look at the man. He was wearing a tuxedo with a cape and top hat, and a half-mask shaped like the face of a bird covered his face. His spear had a blade that had a diamond edge, and the blade was the color of polished silver. And he had wings! Sailor Dinosaur blushed as she looked at him. He looked directly at her, and started to speak.

"Sailor Dinosaur, be more careful with your attacks!" he said. Then he leapt into the air and was gone. The harsh shriek of the monster reminded her of the situation. Ignoring her, it had walked around her. Now it was within a few strides of attacking a group of people.

"Leave them alone!" someone shouted. At the same time, something hit the creature, knocking it over and making it angry. It was Washi! The creature righted itself, and lunged at Washi, knocking her over. It pinned her to the ground and held her there without harming her. Washi started to tremble. The creature snarled at her. Its breath washed over her, surrounding her with the smell of blood and flesh and decay. She turned her head to try to escape the stench. She struggled, but the creature weighed more than she did. Its front paws were holding her arms, and it was sitting on her thighs, preventing her from moving her legs.

I can’t believe that I’m going to die like this… Washi thought.

Sailor Dinosaur watched helplessly. If she attacked, the creature might hurt Washi. It might even kill her! Suddenly, she heard a familiar squawk, and Psittacus landed on her shoulder. He looked serious.

"Ryuu, this is very important: Where is that metal feather you hurt your hand on this morning? I know you took it. What did you do with it?"

Sailor Dinosaur scratched her head. "Oh, that? I gave it to Washi."

"You WHAT?! That thing is the item that lets one of the other Animal Senshi transform!"

"I didn’t know that!" Sailor Dinosaur wailed.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of yellow light. The leopard/crocodile creature went flying, landing nimbly on its feet. Washi was standing now, and a strange symbol glowed on her forehead. Psittaccus noticed the metal feather clutched in the tall woman’s right hand.

"I can’t believe you!" Psittacus said.

"What did I do now?" Sailor Dinosaur said.

"Out of all the people in Tokyo, by sheer luck you ended up giving that feather to the person who’s supposed to have it!"

Psittacus took off and flew to Washi. He landed on her shoulder.

"Do you wanted to awaken the Queen of Storms?"

Washi looked at him as the yellow energy swirled around her.

"Yes."

"Be aware that your life will never be the same again."

"Tell me what to do."

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Tell me what to do!" Washi said, more forcefully this time.

"All right. Hold the feather up and say ‘Argentavis Eagle Power, Make Up’ and you will awaken the Queen of Storms."

Washi held the metal feather up in the air.

"Argentavis Eagle Power, Make Up!" Washi cried. Wind formed a glowing sphere around her, which floated into the air. The energy dissipated, and Washi landed a Sailor Soldier! Her outfit was identical to Sailor Dinosaur’s except that colors were different, the gloves were very different, and she had wings. The gloves reached to just past Argentavis’ wrists, and there were three long razor-sharp claw-like blades attached to each glove.

Sailor Argentavis looked at herself. "What happened to me? I’m a Sailor Soldier?!"

"Correct. You are Sailor Argentavis, known to some as the Queen of Storms."

"I didn’t know that you were an Animal Senshi like me." Sailor Dinosaur said.

"There’s a lot I want to ask you later, but I have to take care of this beast first." Sailor Argentavis. She turned to look at the creature, which stood snarling where it had landed. Suddenly it charged. It leapt at Sailor Argentavis. The claws on her gloves started to glow.

"Bird Claw!" she shouted, slashing through the creature with ease. It disintegrated instantly. Then she turned to look at Sailor Dinosaur again. She turned back into Washi, and stuck the metal feather in one of her pockets. Sailor Dinosaur transformed back as well. Washi was surprised.

"Ryuu, you’re a Sailor Soldier?!" Washi said. Ryuu nodded.

"I’ve only been Sailor Dinosaur since a few days ago. I’m not the only one, either. There’s a woman named Sailor Cobra somewhere." Ryuu said.

"Explain everything, please." Washi said. Ryuu told Washi everything that she knew about the situation, which wasn’t much.

"So we’re Sailor Soldiers. Does that mean that that other group of Sailor Soldiers is real as well?"

"Yes," Psittacus said. "But they disappeared from Tokyo three months ago and haven’t been seen since. They may have been killed."

"That’s doubtful. I read online that the Dragon was seen a few days ago, and that there was a Sailor Soldier with him."

"The Dragon really exists?" Washi said.

"I don’t know, but some kind of winged creature does call Tokyo home, anyway." Ryuu said.

"The ‘Dragon’ is real, though I am forbidden to say anymore than that." Psittacus said.

Washi slipped away while Ryuu and the bird were arguing. She walked home, barely noticing her route as she thought about her situation. A Sailor Soldier, her, Washi Akatsukinosorano!

THE NEXT DAY AT SCHOOL:

Everyone was buzzing about the appearance of Sailor Soldiers at their school.

Washi gave her version of the story, not mentioning that she was the second Sailor Soldier who had appeared.